Collective passenger transport

Besides public transport such as rail, metro, tram and bus networks, collective passenger transport also covers car-sharing, car-pooling and flexible mobility services such as train-taxi schemes and demand-responsive transport in areas of low demand.

Improvements to public transport services may address public transport vehicles and related infrastructure, as well as management techniques.

The Polish city of Krakow has further expanded its electric bus fleet with the acquisition of 20 new vehicles.

Purchased by the Municipal Transport Operator of Krakow (MPK), the arrival of the 20 new buses marks the end of the first phase of an agreement signed in April 2016 for the delivery of 107 modern and environmentally friendly city buses.

As part of an agreement signed with the Polish National Center for Research and Development, there is the possibility to purchase 11 more electric buses.

A new map of the London Underground network has been released that caters to passengers with claustrophobia or other anxiety conditions.

The map was devised after suggestions from passengers with such conditions. By showing them routes that involve long stretches of tunnels, it is hoped that they can identify routes avoiding them and feel more at ease when travelling.

The Mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, has announced a single public transport ticket that can be used for the bus, metro, and train in Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov County.

The announcement was made during the creation of the Inter-community Development Association for Public Transport Bucharest-Ilfov. The partnership will lead to public transport services in the capital being extended to its periphery. Mr Firea referred to it as a "historic moment" for transport in the city.

The Lombardy region in Italy is making a significant investment in clean public transport by buying 22 new electric buses. The two cities in Lombardy to benefit from their purchase will be Milan with 10 new vehicles and Bergamo with 12 of them.

The two sets of buses bought are based on the Solaris Urbino 12 model. In both, the electric power is stored in a high energy battery pack with a total capacity of 240 kWh.

As of the beginning of July, a new driverless, electric shuttle bus service has been running in Paris. The trials are taking place in La Défense, Europe's largest business district.

Free of charge for all users, the service offers three different routes that serve the main areas of La Défense. Two of the routes will operate at 10 minute intervals at peak times during the week, whilst the third will run every 20 minutes at the weekends.

The public transport network in the Wielkopolska region of Poland is set to receive massive investment, with a substantial part of funding coming from the EU. The main beneficiaries will be the cities of Konin and Leszno and the areas surrounding them.

Konin will buy eight low-emission buses, build 8.4 km of bicycle lanes, create bike and ride interchanges with public transport stops, and put up electronic information boards. An urban bike-sharing system will also be created, with 100 bikes available to rent at 11 stations.

The EU projects FREVUE & ELIPTIC are holding a joint workshop for local authorities in Barcelona on Wednesday 13 September.

Held in cooperation with local partners in Barcelona, the workshop will explore the use of public transport electric infrastructure for charging urban freight vehicles. Cities interested in this topic are encouraged to attend.

The workshop will start with a presentation on both projects and of specific case studies, including Barcelona. These will be followed by an interactive session.

Plans to extend the public transport network in Sofia received a boost when the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) announced €86.6m of funding for extending the city's third metro line.

The money will used in the second stage of its construction, which began last year following an initial €368m grant from the ERDF. This aims to build approximately 4km of new line and four new stations, which will link the city centre to the Sofia ring road via the Ovcha Koupel district in the south-western part of the city.

Earlier this month, a new responsive bus was trialled in London. Its route was based on data analysis evaluating existing connections and commuter demand.

Transport app developed, Citymapper, unveiled the Smartbus earlier in the month. It was on the road for a two-day trial, following a circuit route in the city centre that circled Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges. The route was selected as it was deemed as being underserviced.